Can you tell us about your early life and what initially drew you to music?
Born and raised in North Carolina, music has always been part of my life. My mom raised me on Motown, The Beach Boys, and James Taylor. My maternal grandmother took me to the North Carolina Symphony several times a year and that planted the seeds for my appreciation of classical music. My paternal grandmother loved to play the piano and encouraged my musical talent and goals from a young age.
This diverse exposure to various musical genres at a young age inspired me to write my lyrics and eventually take up the guitar and piano in high school and college.
What pivotal moment made you decide to pursue music professionally?
A music career has been a goal of mine since I was young. I used to create album covers with colored pencils when I was young and imagined my record being on the shelf of my local record store. However, after graduating high school, I initially put music on the back burner, choosing to attend film school. However, during my freshman year, driving back to the dorm from a violin lesson, I was in a car accident and woke up in the hospital with a fractured neck, right femur, and broken hands and wrists. It was a miracle I survived and I felt God calling me to make music my professional priority and share that talent with others.
During my year recovering at home, I started researching different music schools and found Belmont University, which boasts alums like Lee Ann Womack, Brad Paisley, and Trisha Yearwood. If I was going to make the move to Nashville, I knew I needed a solid foundation to help guide me and this allowed me to focus on my dream, while still pursuing my education.
How has your music evolved since you first started writing and performing?
The foundation of my style has always been rooted in lyrical poetry and a passion for storytelling. I was the kid on the playground who’d have a notebook and be writing story ideas or thinking up song lyrics. I remember Jewel, Sheryl Crow, and Alanis Morissette came on the scene and they inspired me with their vulnerable and edgy songwriting. I’ve always been inspired and have written songs inspired by different genres, but at the heart of all my songs is a strong focus on lyrics and storytelling. My music is always grounded in a desire to write something authentic…stories in song that uplift
The biggest evolution in my music is the fact that I keep growing and improving my craft. The first open mic nights I performed in Nashville, I remember focusing on these deeply personal lyrics, but my guitar skills weren’t stellar. As great as raw talent can be, I learned you need to put in the work to get better at your instrument and skills. Even the greatest songwriters still participate in songwriting camps. At the end of the day, it has been important for me to be humble enough to say ‘Okay I can work on improving this part of my creative process,’ while also not conforming to simply fit the box. I’m proud of this project because I stayed true to my unique sound, while also being open to trying some new creative production as well.
Can you describe your creative process when writing songs?
I’m a bit all over the place. In Nashville, I was blessed to take a lot of songwriting courses and each had a slightly different approach…a lot of professional songwriters schedule songwriting sessions and have to balance the creative with the business. Inspiration does come spontaneously, but you also have to train yourself to write even when you feel like you’re in a musical desert.
Most often I get inspired by a work or an idea for a song. For example, my song Ten Sleep was inspired by a picturesque town in Wyoming, on the edge of the Bighorn Canyon. I remember this scene of stopping there for gas, and it was during a time when everything was uncertain about my future…As I was about to go into the studio, I had a lot of other songs I had written, but this idea for ‘Ten Sleep’ kept popping into my mind.
I first was inspired by the memory, then a song title and I took that and with God’s grace wrote the song in one night.
I usually write the lyrics first with a melody in mind and then chart on the guitar. I also play a bit of piano, but the guitar is my instrument of choice for composition.
What inspired the creation of your debut EP ‘American Nomad,’ and how do the songs reflect your journey or experiences?
I’ve always had a deep love of travel and exploration. We live in a beautiful world, with so much unique culture and scenery. As broken as humanity feels at times, I found you connect with the good of humanity in traveling to other parts of the country and taking time to be thankful for the gorgeous natural scenery God has given us.
When I was nineteen, I had the chance to spend a summer working in Yellowstone National Park. This is where my American Nomad journey started. I packed my bags (and all my CDs – before my streaming era) and drove over 2000 miles to Yellowstone. I remember stopping in Kansas and the tumbleweed was rolling over the road and seeing the Rockies rise above the plains in Colorado…it sparked a lifelong love of road trips.
For me, each road trip has a soundtrack – that sets the mood of the journey…my EP, American Nomad is meant to be postcards from the open road. Good Kind of Reckless, is the upbeat get you going song…while Population One reflects on my time finding solitude in Yellowstone National Park and Montana…
What challenges did you face during the recording of the EP “American Nomad”, and how did you overcome them?
The time it took to get my music recorded. After college, I took a break from recording my songs (although I never stopped writing) to focus on promoting other artists, as well as starting a career in tech sales. I kept putting my passion on the back burner and when COVID happened, I realized I needed to seize every day and focus on my music. I started saving up over a few years to finance the EP, which took time, but it was worth the wait.
Which track on the EP is most personal to you, and why?
That’s a hard question! I’d say Population One…it reflects my faith and the personal conversations I have with God when I’m in the ‘wilderness.’ Sometimes we need to break free from the chaos of nonstop social media and just take time to go on a walk in the woods or sit by a lake. Population One reflects that freedom is not wanting to give up on people, but rather the time we need to be still and listen.
How do you draw inspiration from different places and cultures you’ve encountered as a nomad?
I draw a lot of my creative ideas from places I’ve lived and visited. This EP is heavily inspired by Yellowstone Country. I was blessed to live in Bozeman Montana for five years and take advantage of exploring all corners of Yellowstone to Glacier National Park. There’s something mystical about the mountains in Montana and the tapestry of geology in Yellowstone that lights a creative fire.
I’m also inspired by the backroads of my home state of North Carolina and the vistas of The Blue Ridge Parkway. North Carolina has a rich and dynamic culture of arts from roots and bluegrass…
As a ‘nomad,’ I always encourage travelers not to be afraid to travel to new places and to be open to really learning about that local culture. There are a lot of great cities and scenic spots that aren’t heavily trafficked or are known regionally but might be overlooked.
I took my advice and planned a trip to Wisconsin a few years back. I assumed it was pretty and a nice state, but planned the trip just to cross it off my states I’ve visited list. I was blown away by Wisconsin. It is one of the prettiest places I visited. They have lakeshore access to Lake Superior and Lake Michigan. The water there is so clear, that it reminds me of the Caribbean. I hope in the future to do an EP inspired by The Great Lakes from that trip.
What role does travel play in your songwriting and creative output?
As I mentioned before, every place I traveled imprints a special memory that I want to put into a song.
What do you hope listeners take away from your music, particularly this EP?
I wanted this album to be fun and thoughtful and I hope listeners genuinely enjoy the songs and connect with the lyrics and music.
What are your future aspirations for your music career?
I have the music bug, so for me, I just want to keep creating learning, and growing in my music. I would love to tour in the future and collaborate with other artists as well.
